Etching of Dislocations in Crystals of Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Abstract

STUDIES of the defect structure of single crystals of aromatic hydrocarbons have revealed that “as grown” crystals contain a high concentration of dislocations^1,2. These defects have a marked effect on the physical properties of the solid^3,4. It is therefore desirable to have some method of determining dislocation concentrations in these solids so that the magnitude of this effect can be assessed. Previous attempts to study the dislocation structure of aromatic hydrocarbon solids by thermal etching⁵, electrolyte etching⁶, and enzyme etching⁷ have produced oriented but ill-defined etch patterns. This communication reports the results of some attempts to etch such crystals using solvent and chemical etches.